Dow has become the first company to attain a coveted Green Guide Rating A+ by BRE Global for its extruded polystyrene (XPS) roofing insulation product XENERGY™ SL. This certification further supports the performance credentials of the Dow Building Solutions product, launched last year, making it the only XPS to achieve this internationally recognised certificate.

BRE Global is the international provider of BREEAM, the world’s first sustainability assessment method for buildings, which takes into account all materials used in the building and its performance during the building life cycle. XENERGYTM SL will help projects achieve improved BREEAM ratings due to its high performance, as recognised by its attainment of the Green Guide Rating A+.

By using CO2 as the blowing agent and adding infra-red blocking particles to scatter and reflect heat radiation within the foam board used for XENERGYTMSL, lambda values have been decreased by up to 11 per cent.

The result is reduced heat transfer during winter to keep a building warm, as well helping to keep it cool in the summer.

XENERGY™ SL – the first XENERGY™ product available in the UK – is designed to offer highly moisture-resistant flat roof insulation at reduced thicknesses versus conventional XPS alternatives. XENERGY™ SL offers a reduction of up to 4mW of thermal conductivity in various thicknesses.

XENERGY™ SL was launched to meet demand from architects and specifiers for a product with improved thermal performance of inverted roof insulation. It also fulfils their need for thinner materials which can offer greater design possibilities, including lower parapet heights.

XENERGY™ SL is manufactured at Dow’s production facility in King’s Lynn, Norfolk, where a wind turbine is used to generate renewable energy for the company’s manufacturing processes. This has resulted in a 13 per cent decrease in the site’s electricity bill and contributes to Dow’s commitment to meeting its sustainability goals by 2025.

Chris Gimson, Head of Commercial at Dow Building Solutions, said: “We developed XENERGY™ to meet a growing demand from architects and specifiers for an XPS roofing insulation product that offers the best of both worlds – improved thermal performance and thinner materials.

“The fact that XENERGY™SL has become the first XPS product to achieve a Green Guide Rating A+ provides a clear endorsement of Dow’s success in creating an innovative, yet sustainable XPS insulation material. In essence, it means that architects and specifiers can have complete confidence in choosing XENERGY™.”

Joan Ferrer, Technical Services at Dow Building Solutions, said: “This outstanding achievement shows the great performance of XENERGY™, both by the material’s technical properties and by its cradle to grave life cycle when used in a building, making it the XPS insulation of choice”